1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system for the need-dependent generation of a signal perceptible by a person at one or more predetermined points in time at which one or more medications must be taken or a time-related medical measure is to be implemented.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Persons who must take medications regularly often have the problem of forgetting to take the medication altogether or, of overlooking the administration time prescribed by the physician. This problem particularly occurs in with older persons or patients who must take many medications at different times. Signal devices, for example in the form of small portable devices, are known in the prior art, for example German OS 44 13 646, which include time-measuring means and generate an alarm signal in the fashion of a timer at the respectively required points in time at a body-worn device or a carried device. These devices, however, can only remind the user of the administration of medication when they are located in the immediate environment of the user at the point in time of the signaling. Many persons, however, do not always carry or wear these devices, particularly in the domestic environment; on the contrary, these devices are often placed down at locations that are so far from the location of the patient that the signal does not reach the patient. Such systems are also disclosed by PCT Application WO 97/24702 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,831.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system of the type initially described that makes it possible to provide the patient with the corresponding signal indicating the administration of medication at different locations, essentially within a building, for example a house or an apartment.
This object is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention in a system for generating a humanly perceptible signal as a reminder for administration of a medical treatment, having a control unit, disposed at a first location within a building, and in which administration times for a medical treatment are stored, and having a time measuring unit, and at least one signaling unit, located remote from the control unit at a second location at the building, and which communicates with the control unit via a communication connection of a communication system contained within the building, and which, upon receiving a signal from the control unit via the communication system, emits a humanly perceptible signal to remind a person within the building that it is time for a medical treatment to be administered.
As used herein, a xe2x80x9cmedical treatmentxe2x80x9d means undertaking one or more medical or health-related activities, and is not merely limited to ingesting pills or the like. Moreover, as used herein the term xe2x80x9cat the buildingxe2x80x9d includes locations outside of a building, in close vicinity to the building.
With this inventive system having the advantageous separation of the control unit that controls the timing of the administration of medications and, correspondingly, the signaling and the external signal device, the possibility is especially advantageously established of providing the patient with the corresponding signal at an arbitrary location, namely anywhere that an external signal device is provided. A number of external signal devices can be provided for this purpose, at various locations at a building. In a dwelling, for example, a signal device can be provided in each room, so that the patient can be reached everywhere. It has proven especially advantageous when, inventively, the communication connection is realized mainly by lines laid and/or to be laid at the building side or radio-supported. An EIB bus (European installation bus) can be employed as communication system of the building side. Such a communication system, which is usually already present in the building and serves the purpose of signal management for controlling various actuators such as, for example, illuminating means and the like, usually runs through all parts of the building and may also partly pass through the outer region, so that the signal devices can be especially advantageously coupled everywhere. In view of the system costs, as well, the use of the communication system that already exists proves advantageous, particularly in the form of the EIB bus, since no additional communication lines need be laid. As an alternative to the employment of hardwired communication possibilities, a wireless communication connection can be additionally provided in accordance with the invention, so that the aforementioned communication system is not limited to the immediate area of the building but also allows the arrangement and inclusion of signal devices located outside.
Optical, acoustic and/or mechanical signal devices can be inventively provided as the aforementioned signaling devices. A bell provided in the building or one or more lighting means provided at the building can thereby be expediently employed as acoustic and optical signal devices. These devices are usually already integrated in the house communication system, for example the EIB bus system, so that they can be particularly advantageously addressed accordingly with the control unit. Elements that are already present in the building are thus employed as signal devices as well, this likewise having a beneficial influence, particularly in terms of the system costs. The bell, for example, can thereby be correspondingly driven at the given point in time, so that it rings once or repeatedly or, on the other hand, in a specific sequence; the lighting means can, for example, flash briefly or the like. Additionally or alternatively, a radio receiver and/or one or more display devices reproducing the signal in the form of a visual display, particularly in the form of a television set, can also be employed. In this case, for example, a corresponding signal or a corresponding message is transmitted from the control unit to the radio receiverxe2x80x94preferably when the television set is operating already. Given employment of a display, particularly in the form of a television set that is usually present in a dwelling, the signal can be correspondingly mixed in the television picture, whereby, of course, the control unit is correspondingly fashioned for this purpose in order to supply the data and corresponding data formats required for this purpose.
A device that generates mechanical, acoustic or optical signals and communicates with the control and/or processing unit via the wireless communication connection and that is to be worn by the affected person can be inventively employed as additional (redundant) mechanical, acoustic and/or optical signal device. Such devices, for example in the form of silent alarm devices that are to be worn at the wrist or the like and generate vibrations are known. Given use of such a device, the patient is informed of the time for taking the medication on the basis of corresponding vibrations that can be felt, so that he can act correspondingly when the signal is given. Of course, this portable signal device can also be fashioned as an acoustic alarm. An optical alarm, for example a small display means, can also be employed, for example a SCALL device (pager). Of course, a device in the form of a portable telephone can also be utilized. Given employment of a plurality of signal devices, the signal can thereby be inventively generated at one or more, potentially all signal devices, whereby the use of the signal devices that have been mentioned is expediently based on their operating readiness, i.e., given employment of a radio receiver or of a television set, this is only addressed when the respective device is also correspondingly operating.
In order to prevent the signal from being given when the respective point in time stored in the control unit is reached despite the medication already having been taken, in an embodiment of the invention that the control unit causes the time or times for the correct administration of the medications to be displayed to the user, with a triggering of the signal ensuing dependent on the display. This allows the user to inform the control unit that the administration of the medication has already ensued, so that the signal triggering can be suppressed. For this purpose, an actuatable element can be placed in communication with the control unit via the communication system, particularly via the building lines and preferably the EIB bus. Switch elements such as, for example, a light switch existing in the building or an operating element of the display, particularly in the form of a remote control and the like can be employed as an actuation element. Of course, it is also possible to also provide separate input means for enabling an indication that the administration of the medical treatment has already ensued, for example in the form of a keyboard or the like that is directly arranged at the control unit, which, for example, can be a PC. Any suitable actuation element can be used for this purpose, the same being true for the various signal devices.
In order to relieve the patients, particularly older persons, of gathering or dosing the medications, it has proven especially advantageous when the system includes a medication dispenser that has a communicative connection with the control unit, and that makes the medications to be respectively taken available at the required point in time or just before this time. When the medication is taken in time, then this administration can be employed for forwarding the indicator signal from the medication dispenser to the control unit, i.e. the removal of the medications from the dispenser at the correct time automatically causes the control unit to be provided with the corresponding acknowledgment signal.
It has proven especially advantageous when one or more signaling times for a plurality of different medications can be stored or are stored in the control unit, whereby a specific signal can be generated for each medication, possibly using a specific signal device. According to this embodiment of the invention, a complete monitoring system is achieved that also enables a monitoring of the taking of a number of medications, so that the patient is instructed to take each and every individual medication regardless of the number of medications.
Particularly when the appertaining person is not present at the respective signaling time, it is proven advantageous when the control unit is fashioned such that the signal can be emitted at least a second time at a later point in time, this, of course, only ensuing when an acknowledgment signal was not previously provided. In order to have the certainty that the person is present at the time of the signaling or the signal repetition, it is proven especially advantageous when the system includes at least one acquisition system for determining the presence of a person within the building, this acquisition system communicating with the control unit. The control unit emits the repeated signal is generated dependent on the determination made by the acquisition system, i.e., the signal is only generated when the presence of the person has been found, so that there is then a certainty that the person will in fact perceive the signal. The acquisition system can be inventively fashioned such that it determines the actuation or movement of a door or the movement of a person, i.e. in the form of a movement sensor or the like. Additionally or alternatively, the sensor can also be an actuatable light switch that the person, for example, must actuate anyway when entering the house. Alternatively, the television set can also be employed as the acquisition system, whereby the determination that the person is present in the dwelling is established dependent on the operation of the television set. A radio device can be used for the same purpose.
Particularly when the administration of the medications was forgotten because the person was not present and the signal could not remind the patient to do this, situations can definitely occur given tardy administration that require non-routine measures, i.e., for example, consultation with a physician or a dosing adapted in conformity with the tardiness or the like. In order to be able to inform the patient of potential non-routine measures or problems, it is proven especially advantageous when the system inventively comprises at least one display device, such as in the form of the television set serving the purpose of the signal device, at which information from the control device can be emitted when the reminder signal is generated, possibly at a point in time later than the reminder signal generation. On the basis of this information, the patient can then determine how he must behave in order to counter possible consequences of the missing or delayed administration of the medication. It is expedient when, inventively, the information to be emitted can be generated dependent on medication-specific and/or patient-specific information stored at the control unit and/or dependent on the time that has passed since the original point in time for the administration of the medical treatment. The information provided to the patient is thus adapted to the actual circumstances, pertaining to the medications the patient is to take, as well as the personal constitution of the patient, since the patient""s medical data such as, for example, weight, blood pressure, etc., can enter into the determination as to whether non-routine instructions are needed. The time that has elapsed since the last possible xe2x80x9cproperxe2x80x9d administration time may also be relevant, since this evaluation criterion can also be relevant for the actions to be prescribed from a medical point of view. The patient is thus provided with information adapted to the actual situation. The information stored in the control unit as information capable of being emitted can inventively be medication-specific information, particularly about the dosing and in the form of the administration of the medication. Alternatively or additionally, the control unit can also be fashioned for automatically setting up a communication connection, particularly a telecommunication connection to an external location for providing assistance in case a signal is generated and the presence of a person has been found, whereby, of course, a corresponding communication connection of the control unit to a corresponding communication network leading to the outside can also be provided. In a further embodiment of the invention, the control unit is fashioned such that external access to the information stored therein is possible. Such xe2x80x9cexternal accessxe2x80x9d means both reading as well as writing access. It is thus possible to access the control unit which is present at the patient""s dwelling from an external location, for example from a data administration center to review the information stored therein in view of being correct and up to date as well as to record new information, if necessary, for example, when the patient must take one or more new medications or, for example, a blood pressure measurement or the like is to be undertaken at other points in time.